The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-15
MEXICAN WASH TUBS.
They Don't Exist in Houses and Every
Stream Becomes Laundry

Stream Becomes q Laundry.
From the Kansas City Star
To the foreigner in Mexico it is curious
and interesting sight to visit the place
where the women do the washing for the
city. There is no washing done at the resi-
dences. The records at Washington will
show that 10000 Ia few more or lessl wash
ing machines have been invented, not one of
which has accomplished what the inventor
expected or met. the representations of the
snooth-tongued agent who disposed of them
to credulous housewives. These machines
find no market here. In the greater part of
Mexico such things as wash tubs
and boards, pateut steam washers
or even clothes lines and pins are
practically unknown, and it will be
long time before any of these articles will
be brought into general use by these people.
The washing is all done by women along
the margins of the rivers and creeks, which
in this country, as well as in our own so
unaccouutably find their way to the cities
and towns. There these women ('lavan-
deras'1 are to be found every day, Sunday
not excepted, from dozens up TO hundreds,
according to the size of the city. They as
sumo the sitting or squatting posture so uni
versal with the female laborers of this coun-
try, having in front of them and partially
resting in the water a large, fiat, smooth
stone. Saturating a garment In the creek
and applying quantity of soap, it is then
vigorously rubbed over the stone, which
serves as a washboard, and is very good
substitute indeed. 1t is often the case that
fair-siZed stream near great city is so
largely used for such work that it presents
the appearance of river of soapSlds. And
yet this water is used by the people of the
next town below for drinking and culinary
purposes, and so far as the taste is concerned
HOY will h x-f ind -
the good service rendered at various places
nearer its source.
The garments, after being washed, are
spread upon the rocks and gravel beds, and
the bright sun, which shines here almost
daily for eight months in the year. dries
them before one has scarcely had time to turn
around. This custom of river washing is
necessitated by the scarcity of water There
is scarcely any part of the country in which
either wells or cisterYls are to be found. All
the drinking water is brought in pipes tap
ping the river few miles above the city,
and is conducted to fountains or basins con-
venientlY located in different sections of the
town. To and from these reservoirs dur
ing all hours of the day, but more
especially in the morning and evening, a con-
slant stream of water carriers go and come.
Two men, with barrel swung upon pole,
an end of the pole resting upon a shoulder
of each; bits of boys with two buckets bal
anced on stick in Japanese fashion; women
and girls with alters Tound earthen jars of
all sizes on their heads or shoulders, keep
up an endless procession to and from the
fountains SO it will be apparent to every
one that, with this state of affairs existing,
it is more convenient to take the laundry to
the river than to carry the water to the
house, and this will serve to show why it
will be difficult to introduce the use of tub,
wash-board and clothes-line.
In many localities the rivers, which in the
dry season become reduced to mere rivuletS,
are the only source of water supply, and are
used for almost every conceivable purpose.
Innumerable little bikes, dams and bitches
are constructed by the scores of women who
do washing for living, and who each must
have a small supply of water for daily use.
At one place tanner may be seen scraping
and washing green hides, at another a
butcher securing tripe Just below house
wife win be cleaning the boiled. corn for the
family dinner, while at, other points grooms
will be engaged LII securing horses and ma
tive washing his person in the stream, evil
IDENTIFY bordering over the probability of his
efforts being rewarded by the recovery of a
shirt he remembers having put on in other
days.
A few feet from the margin of the river
an occasional hole is dug, and the water
which filters therein through the sand is
used by hundreds of families for all domestic
purposes. There is so much of this washing
and securing done in the river that during
the low stage of water the entire stream be-
comes terribly foul and filthy, and the
smells arising therefrom surpass, not only
in number, but in variety and intensity
those which someone discovered in the
streets of Cologne.